


RWBY: Chronicles of Vault

by DukeOfDestiny



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Canon, Multi, Original Character(s), Vault - Freeform, chronicles of vault, lustre academy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-02-06 00:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12805743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DukeOfDestiny/pseuds/DukeOfDestiny
Summary: Remnant's kingdoms faced an unusual crisis, not Grimm, not terrorists, not ancient powers. Instead, they faced overpopulation as their capitals were flooded and villages became less and less safe. To combat this, the four kingdoms pooled their resources into the creation of a colony for people to live in and be safe, an experiment to sustain more life and generate more money for themselves.Now, 18 years after the birth of the colony of Vault, a young Faunus named Cedar Glade begins his first year as a huntsman in Lustre Academy, the colony's own huntsman academy.





	1. A New Dawn

 

When Cedar had woken up that morning, a part of him was convinced he was still dreaming. That, as he stood there gazing up at the vast mechanical aircraft settled into the docks, marvelling at its sheer size and scope, he was still in his bed with his head stuffed between too many pillows. It had taken a good few pinchings of his cheek and a couple rounds of rubbing his eyes to assure himself that, yes indeed, this was no dream.

And that left him with the sinking feeling that he may be horribly out of his depth.

It had been three months since he’d graduated combat school and passed his final exams. And another two months and a half til he received a letter of invitation to the academy. He’d been so astounded he’d gotten it he ended up crying slightly, just out of happiness. Though some of his friends had taken it that he’d been upset… that was fun to explain to them. His parents had been a little bit more pensive, suggesting he just be home schooled or find a job a little more low key and safer. But no, getting that letter had been assurance to him, that this was what he wanted to do. To become a huntsman and to protect the people…

And so, here he stood, feet resting on the white stone ground of the docks in the bright morning, the wind tugging at the thin white scarf around his neck and making him pull his jacket on a little bit tighter, his two fox ears atop his head blowing back from the gust, a rather plain bag in one hand carrying everything he needed. People were moving past him of all creeds, colours, and as he saw a curled tail slink past him, even species too, all into the huge airship that would be carrying on the chosen students to their new home in the academy beyond.

...okay but did this thing REALLY have to be this big?! How many new students were getting on this thing?! Were they all from the town? Had they flown over from other kingdoms? Were any of them going to be expelled on the first day like he’d heard stories of at Atlas academy? His mind buzzed with the angry hornets of doubt and uncertainty, so much so he got distracted from his surroundings and ended up walking right into someone. He sprawled on his back and held his nose from where it had connected with the other person.

“Sorry, sorry!” He said quickly, trying to look at who he’d bumped into. “I was totally distracted, didn’t see you, hope I didn’t hurt you!” He rambled, only to be silenced when a gloved hand reached down to help him up. The hand belonged to the copper haired girl he’d bumped into, her hair in a fishtail braid slung over one shoulder, her eyes bright and her smile even brighter.

“Hey, no worries! Let me help you up.” Cedar was surprised as the girl managed to heft him right back up to his feet. He was oddly reminded of a time he’d been fishing and had been pulled into the water by a very big tuna. “It’s alright to be nervous, i’m kinda nervous too!” the big girl admitted. Cedar couldn’t help but glance over her biceps and notice how toned and strong they were. He felt briefly inadequate.

“So i’m not alone huh? That’s a relief.” Cedar chuckled nervously, then realising he was still clutching onto her hand. He attempted to play it off by shaking it quickly. “My name’s Cedar Glade, nice to meet you.” That seemed to work out, judging by how her wide smile grew yet wider.  
  
“Lariah Marine, nice to meet you too.” She replied, releasing his hand from her firm grip. “Come on, we should probably get onboard or it’ll leave without us!” And with that, the copper haired muscle girl ran on ahead, leaving him in the dust…

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to follow, it’s that his feet were glued to the spot. He was honestly finding it hard to take those steps to get onboard. It took some effort to finally get himself moving, as the crowds began to peter out around him. His ticket in hand and his feet dragging across the ground, he made it into the ship.

Now he was faced with his next big problem. Finding a seat.

Thanks to his concrete footed walk into the ship, most of the seats had already been taken. The interior of the ship was simple enough with wood panelled floors and leather cushioned metal seats set up in rows, the windows spanning all around the ship’s exterior. Cedar wormed his way between the seats and finally found one to slip into, right at the end of a row, barely even paying any mind to who was sitting next to him.

Right as he sat, there was a sudden lurching in the ship around him, causing the students to shift in their seats. The great mechanical vessel’s engines roared into life, its mighty fans spun up and slowly lifted it off of the docks, a great wind blustering from below it. With the horizon ahead, the great ship set off, it’s precious cargo of young hopefuls safely contained within. It left the town behind and soared out over open land and into open sky.

After a few moments of tightly gripping his seat’s armrests, Cedar relaxed a little. He wasn’t a huge fan of flying, but at least he hadn’t made a mess of himself like when he was seven. Some of the other students had stood up and were walking around, talking to each other. Cedar decided to stay seated and so did the guy sitting beside him, who turned to speak to him.

“Howdy? Y’doin’ alright there?” He inquired, a warm smile on his round face. He was a particularly large boy, and unlike Lariah, he was large in the other sense.

“Oh, uh, yeah, sorry.” Cedar felt his ears wiggle slightly atop his head. “I just haven’t flown in a while is all.”

“I see.” The young man nodded slightly, the leather stetson covering his head wavering slightly. “Must confess, i’m a first timer to flyin’ too. Usually go by land.” That off put Cedar a little bit. The guy hadn’t even flown before and here he was all calm, collected, friendly. It put him to shame.

“Well uh, you sure handled it well.” Cedar nodded, maintaining his composure. “Cedar Glade by the way, you?” When in doubt, always introduce, he thought.

“Isaac Carbon. Nice to meetcha.” A large hand patted Cedar on the back and almost sent him stumbling out of his seat. “Here’s hopin’ for a smooth landin’, huh?” He chuckled, though coming from him it sounded more like an odd rumbling noise.

“Mhm, definitely…” Cedar nodded quickly and got to his feet. “I’m just gonna go look around and stuff.” He left the conversation on that and decided to go to the window. The sight quickly made up for any nausea he may have been initially feeling. The ship was flying gracefully over the land below, rivers rushing by in silver streaks of light, the ground a mere blur of imagined lines and anyone down there just a brief sight on their journey to the academy. Cedar couldn’t help but press his hands against the glass to get a closer look at it all. Everything seemed far more beautiful from above.

He briefly wondered if that’s what she thought when she first took this craft to the academy…

“Um, excuse me?” A quiet voice got his attention. It was only now that Cedar noticed a girl had been seated right next to where he was looking out, shrouded in a big hooded raincoat with slight streaks of oddly coloured hair poking out. She’d exuded such a small presence, Cedar hadn’t noticed her at all, and given his height that was saying something. “Could you move, please? You’re um… kinda weirding me out.”

“Oh sure, sorry.” Cedar backed up. Ouch, that one hit home… they hadn’t even gotten to the academy yet and someone thought he was creepy. And she was cute too, damnit! I mean it was weird she was wearing a raincoat but… no, she was cute, voices like that only belonged to cute people. He frowned and ruffled a hand through his hair before slipping them into his pockets. Maybe he should go hang out with Lariah, at least she didn’t think he was creepy.

Lariah seemed to be talking to some big guy with spiky blonde hair, big in the muscular sense, not in Isaac’s sense. Cedar wanted to interrupt but their discussion seemed oddly intense and to be frank, the blonde guy’s angry looking face scared him.

“So many interesting faces.” A voice alerted Cedar to a girl standing behind him, having somehow snuck up on him. Said girl was garbed in a flowery yellow dress, her face showing the slightest smirk. “I wonder if we’re already seeing the flowers of romance taking root?”

“Um… excuse me, what’re you talking about?” He blinked in uncertainty, his fox ears flattening slightly atop his head. The flowery girl giggled at the sight.

“Pardon my thinking aloud. I simply wonder who will be pining after who in the coming days.” The girl commented, a sly eye overseeing the soon to be students chatting with one another.

“Okay that’s totally normal.” Cedar nodded slightly, passing it off. “Um, my name’s Cedar Glade?” Stick to the basics, he thought to himself.

“Yasmin Ginshi.” She replied, suddenly opening a silk fan and covering her mouth with it, giving her eyes a considerably more alluring look. “I’m sure we’ll get to know each other well, if we survive the entrance exam.”

“...survive?” Cedar felt his stomach do a somersault.

“Well you know what hunting academies are like, I’m sure there’s some big test of great danger awaiting us. They can’t just go accepting everyone you know.” She tapped her fan on his forehead. It might’ve irritated him if his mind wasn’t now conjuring up terrible images and ideas of what the entrance exam might consist of.

“I hear that, over in Beacon?” a dark skinned girl with blonde hair leaned over. “They shoot the new students out of a cannon to see how they land and ditch the ones who go splat!”

“That’s just stupid.” A grey haired boy snorted, rolling his eyes. “They probably just make them fight to the death in some big arena. Or maybe they’ll just let us walk right in, they probably take in all the dregs anyway.” He chuckled snidely.

None of these thoughts were helping Cedar at all, who was just standing there and taking it in, his imagination conjuring scenarios of fighting nightmarishly strong kids to the death, or flying through the air at nine hundred miles per hour and splatting like a fly on a window. They wouldn’t really do that to new students, right? They couldn’t just expect that out of them on day one… right?

He’d find out pretty soon as he felt the ship starting to descend. The other kids piled back into their seats and Cedar followed suit as the vessel touched ground and came to a slow stop. Then the doors opened and everyone rushed to get out first. Cedar waited, he wasn’t in much of a hurry anymore.

When Cedar finally did walk down the platform and onto solid ground again, his eyes were met with the splendour of the academy grounds stretching out before him. A white stone path split the land in two from the docking area, leading further into the grounds. On either side, patches of lush ruby grass grew, a unique specimen not found in many other regions outside of their kingdom’s semi volcanic soil. Peeking up from the crimson grass, tall trees of white and black stood tall and proud, their leaves in a similar shade, bearing yellows and oranges of all kinds, mixing in a colourful tapestry of nature that fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Further up the grounds, winding white paths split off from the main path akin to the branches of a great tree, some leading to peaceful looking ponds pitted into the landscape, the area also dotted with large white stone lanterns, currently doused and dark in the sunny day. Further beyond that, the path became a large circular area with stone and wooden seats situated around the outside, all surrounding a grand fountain flowing with sparkling water, featuring four tall white statues of hunters in various poses.

And even beyond that, stood the main building of the academy itself. The entire thing was one vast complex surrounded by a square wall of sleek white and silver metal, black gaps between the great panels and huge turrets sitting at each corner, one right at the end of the path and two more splitting off on either side. The main building stood within, more strong metal and vast square constructs, a work of modern art in the form of a solid, fortified building, seeming almost alien amidst the crimson beauty of nature, yet also somehow so perfectly at home in it. And behind it all, the ocean and the sky met to provide a shining blue backdrop to it all.

Cedar barely even realised he was walking as he observed the campus, he was so lost in the beauty of it all. It truly felt like a great combination of everything the other kingdoms had to offer when this place was built, a collaborative effort to create something both beautiful but also steadfast and unbreakable. He was so entranced in the view, he walked straight into the back of a boy with copper hair.

“Oi!” He remarked, turning to look at him. “Watch where ya going, eh? Use yer eyes!”

“Sorry, sorry…” Cedar withdrew quickly. “I just… I got lost in the view.”

“Well it is pretty bonzer, mate.” The boy’s attitude suddenly flipped as he beamed at him. “But hey, we can admire it when we move in, eh? Don’t wanna get left behind on the first day!” and when Cedar actually looked around, he did realise they were lagging behind the other students. He quickened his pace to walk alongside the other boy, hoping meetings like this wouldn’t become a habit.

Soon they passed through the great doors of the main building and into the main hall. The floor was covered by diagonal white tiles, leading up to the walls in similar shades. Hanging from the walls were great red and gold banners, flying the familiar grey symbol of the shield, their homeland’s symbol. There were chairs set out for them to take a seat on, sitting before a large wooden stage. A podium stood at its centre and behind it, several other figures were seated, watching the students enter. Cedar presumed they must be the faculty.

He found himself sitting between the girl in the raincoat from earlier, who shied at his presence, and the copper haired boy who quickly rested one leg on his knee and kicked back in his seat. Once everyone was seated, one of the adults stood up and took the stage. She was a curly strawberry blonde haired woman in a white blouse, matched with a floral brown dress with a wide skirt, an ornately decorated scabbard also hanging at her side. She stood at the podium and cleared her throat.

“Welcome, everybody, to Lustre Academy!” she announced, her voice full of energy. “I’d like to thank you all for attending our little welcoming assembly. Now, before we go any further with today, your new headmaster has some words of wisdom for you. Please welcome, Mr Billeous Birchwood.” She then stepped down as another of the adults took her place.

The man in question was an old looking gentleman with a stern, crinkled face. He had receding white hair, still sticking out around the sides of his heat and a white goatee beard on his chin. It was also worth noting he had a pair of grey ram horns curled at either side of his head. He was dressed rather plainly in grey robes covered by a darker green kind, his sleeves long and the robe reaching his feet, covered by old wooden sandals. In his left hand he held a T-top wooden cane, looking every bit as ancient as he was.

“Thank you, Miss Lariet.” He said, glancing back at the blonde teacher before overlooking those seated in front of him. As Cedar watched him, he got this strange intense feeling emanating from him, locking him into place in his seat. It wasn’t just him, either. The copper haired boy was no longer lounging and the shy girl beside him was leaning forward a little.

“Now, before we proceed with today’s events, I’d like to dispel some _rumours_ that you may have heard.” He said, spitting out the word ‘rumours’ sourly. “Since Lustre Academy is, presently, the youngest of the academies across Remnant, some may think that we offer an easy pass to those that attend, that we will take even the worst possible students just to fill up our places.” He lifted his cane up and pointed behind them. “Any of you who believe this to be true, I ask you leave immediately. Because I am dispelling those rumours, right now.” He moved his cane back and suddenly struck the stage with it, the resounding clack of wood on wood making some of the others jump in surprise.

“Lustre Academy is not of a lower standard than the other academies. We drill our students especially hard, to make them the best they can possibly be for the world outside of these walls. We take the unrefined talent of young hunters and we school them in everything a hunter needs.”

His cane hit the stage again with a resounding CLACK!

“Discipline.”  
  
CLACK!  
  
“Decisiveness.”  
  
CLACK!  
  
“Durability.”  
  
CLACK!  
  
“And dexterity.” He paused a moment, resting his cane back into a comfortable position at his side. “We ask only two things of our students. Firstly, that to have respect, you must show respect. You will be treated as responsible adults within these walls, as long as you in turn respect your faculty and your fellow students. And secondly, we ask you display the best of your abilities. That is the only way this academy will forge you into the kind of person who protects the innocent, stands up for those in need and earns the right to be called a hunter. If you can adhere to those two practices, Lustre Academy will make you a goodly hearth and home and we shall show you equal resolve in forging your destinies. That is all.” The headmaster stepped down from the podium, leaving the hall in silence.

Cedar was rooted to his seat. The headmaster’s words had quelled his buzzing doubts about this place. The rumours were indeed something he’d heard around town… but this headmaster sure didn’t fit the bill of the meek old man he’d heard of. His words inspired him, lighting a flame in his core that almost made him eager to prove he was worth being here, especially considering the headmaster was a Faunus himself. Everything was coming back now… this was why he wanted to be a huntsman. To prove he could stand up and prove he had the qualities of a huntsman, that he wasn’t a coward who’d turn tail and run… he wasn’t a coward… he wasn’t.

“Now then.” Miss Lariet, the blonde teacher took the stand again. “We’ll now be proceeding with the entrance exam. Everyone, please follow the left path around to the side of the school grounds where we will begin the test. Please leave your bags beside your seats and bring your weapons with you.” She directed them back to the doors as she walked down off the stage and led them outside.

The other kids got up and headed outside after her after rummaging around and pulling our various mechanical contraptions, chatting amongst themselves. Cedar followed suit, taking out his weapon too and holding it steady. He also took out the hip quiver he’d need and slipped that onto his belt before he rushed out after the others. Cedar noticed in particular the grey haired boy from before was looking a touch worried, hanging beside the hulking blonde kid as the group walked along the path.

“That speech was awesome!” Gushed the muscular girl from before… Lariah, wasn’t it?

“Sure was!” The copper haired boy agreed, looking equally excited. “I’m pumped! I feel like I could cave in a Beowolf’s face right now!”

“Tone it down, pardner.” Isaac chuckled, walking beside them. “There’ll be plenty o’time for that soon, I reckon.”  
  
“It’s Ozzy, not pardner.” The copper haired boy replied quickly.

Cedar hung behind everyone else, near the shy girl from before and an equally quiet boy with black and white hair and similar looking ears. He wasn’t quite sure what species of animal ears they were. Together, they followed the pack along the path, leading around to the left side of the academy, well, left if you were coming out of its great gates.

After a little walking, the pack split up as they seemed to reach something set into the ground. When Cedar got close to it, he felt his stomach do another somersault at the sight of it. What he was looked into seemed to be a great pit descending into the ground, strange grey vapour lingering around its top, akin to clouds on a stormy day. Large circular platforms, mechanical in nature, jutted out around the lip, many in number and only just wide enough for a person to be able to fit upon them. Cedar twitched in uncertainty as renewed fear and uncertainty welled up within him. The others began to take a step onto the podiums and stand upon them. Cedar followed suit, stepping onto a circular platform and immediately being hit by a sense of vertigo, gazing down into the swirling abyss beyond the lip of the cliff.

“This.” Miss Lariet addressed them, standing on the lip with a device in hand. “Is your entrance exam.”


	2. Running The Gauntlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remnant's kingdoms faced an unusual crisis, not Grimm, not terrorists, not ancient powers. Instead, they faced overpopulation as their capitals were flooded and villages became less and less safe. To combat this, the four kingdoms pooled their resources into the creation of a colony for people to live in and be safe, an experiment to sustain more life and generate more money for themselves.
> 
> Now, 18 years after the birth of the colony of Vault, a young Faunus named Cedar Glade begins his first year as a huntsman in Lustre Academy, the colony's own huntsman academy.

 

“Below you lies the Gauntlet.” Miss Lariet began to explain, holding a scroll in one hand and gesturing to the great abscess in the ground with the other. “You will be taking your exam within it. Below the upper cloud you see, there is a simulated environment consisting of various terrain found across Remnant. Those of you who are familiar with the Amity Colosseum used for the Vytal Festival, the Gauntlet uses a similar system to generate its terrain.”

Cedar did know about the arena used for the Vytal Festival, how its central arena could be used to simulate four randomly selected types of environments at once. And that kind of machinery was awaiting them within the pit below? So there could be anything down there!

“Your goal in this exam is very simple.” Miss Lariet continued, striding up and down along the edge of the cliff as she spoke. “There is an exit to the Gauntlet at its far end, just follow the star in the sky to reach it. To reach the exit, you will have to traverse many kinds of terrain and natural hazards. You will also come across Grimm who regularly spawn inside the Gauntlet, and you will have to fight your way through them a well.”

What kind of school allows Grimm to spawn on its premises?! Cedar shouted in his head.

“You’ll all be scored based on how quickly you complete the Gauntlet and your actions within it. It’s every student for themselves in there, so think only of the end.” Miss Lariet continued. These words, Cedar noticed, sent off an odd reaction down the line of the others. Some of them looked relieved at the mention of no teamwork, whilst others looked notably concerned. Cedar also felt concerned… they wouldn’t seriously start turning on one another, right?

“Oh and, there’s one last thing you should know about.” Miss Lariet suddenly smiled slyly. “The last four students to finish will be expelled. Best of luck!” And before anyone could argue or question such a rule, she tapped the scroll and at once, the platforms the students stood on gave way, dropping them down into the Gauntlet below. All at once they vanished under the grey clouds and into the pit below, to battle for their places in Lustre Academy.

When Cedar finally managed to stop himself yelling in fear at how he was falling and open his eyes, he saw the landscape below. Beneath the veil of grey clouds, an entire simulated sky now rose over them and in the distance, a shining star just like Miss Lariet had mentioned. And below them stretched the terrain of the Gauntlet. Cedar could see below that a huge snowbank was rushing up to meet them, at least promising a safe landing. But then his attention drifted to the other students, some of whom didn’t seem to want to wait to just land.

A loud bang to his left drew his attention to Isaac, wielding some kind of huge shotgun and having positioned himself so he fired behind him, actually using the momentum to propel himself forwards. And it wasn’t just him. The cute girl in the raincoat pulled out what looked like an umbrella and opened it, her falling halted as she daintily floated on ahead of them. And the dark skinned blonde was the most impressive of all, a great pair of golden wings appearing on her back as she soared on ahead, easily taking the lead.

Unfortunately, Cedar had no such advantage to moving quickly, he’d be left to just plummet into the snow with the others. The most he could do was move his goggles over his eyes before he hit the snow, the cold mattress cushioning his fall, knocking the wind out of him as he sank into it. His fox ears could catch the sound of the others landing in similar fashion, various soft thuds and thumps around him. It took him a moment to catch his breath before he got up out of the snow, shakily getting to his feet as a chill ran over his body. That snow felt real alright… that meant environments they’d be going through would be just as real.

He started wading through the snow with the other examinees who hadn’t had any strategy besides falling, all pushing through the snowdrifts to the paths beyond. Up ahead, Cedar could see the terrain splitting off into three distinct paths, going left, right and straight on. On the right path, he could see craggy formations and towering pillars of stone, a clifflike area with unknown perils in its fissures and crevices. Down the middle, a thick and dense woodland, the trees packed close together and limiting ground movement. And finally on the left was a wide open savannah area with some wild grass and mostly open field.

Cedar had to choose quickly, which path would be the quickest? The open savannah seemed the obvious choice, no obstacles and few concerns about a straight shot forward. The canyon seemed very dangerous, so much unstable footing and narrow pathways, that’d be signing a death warrant for sure… but the forest. Cedar knew his strengths were his speed and climbing abilities, something a forest was perfect for. So he pushed forward til he was out of the snow and headed for the woods. Unsurprisingly, to him at least, a lot of the other students rushed for the savannah path and a few others for the canyon, the minority choosing the forest with him.

Despite the light he had seen in the snowy area, the forest was far darker, the thick canopy obscuring the light and creating the illusion of nighttime around them. But it wasn’t an issue to a Faunus like Cedar, someone who had better night vision than a human. He grabbed a low hanging branch and climbed onto it, using it to spring himself up into the treetops and begin moving through the canopy, leaping from tree to tree and running along the thickest branches. Just like back in town, it was all a matter of seeing where he needed to go and jumping for it without hesitation. His parkour skills were no doubt setting him ahead of his peers scurrying below him, filling him with a slight confidence. Maybe he’d be the first amongst them to pass the finish line!

But something felt off. The adrenaline of jumping between the trees had masked it, but now that he was above them, he felt it. The atmosphere in the forest was tense and quiet, only the sounds of the footfalls of his fellow students and him leaping from tree to tree resounded around him. There were no Grimm here either, most likely due to the thick density of the trees, there was nothing dangerous here… except maybe... his competitors?

Before he could even consider the danger, a loud bang erupted from below him and a spray of bullets sheared off the next branch he was jumping to. Terror spread through his body as he quickly found himself falling back down to the ground. He hit the ground hard on his front, feeling his aura drain to prevent anything breaking, though it was still painful. As he tried to get up, he grunted as a foot trod on his back and another student ran on ahead of him, bearing grey hair and smiling spitefully back at him.

He was enraged for a short time before he heard more gunshots around him. That boy who shot the branch must have worried the others, because all hell had broken loose, students started fighting and shooting one another and ducking behind trees. And Cedar knew if he stuck around, he’d fall behind or take stray fire. He had to ignore the fighting and keep moving!

Counting on his speed, Cedar sprinted through the trees, darting left and right to avoid the mighty wooden columns. Around him the sounds of battle raged, blades clanging, gunshots blasting chunks of wood away, this exam was turning into a warzone and he was stuck in the middle of it! He ducked and weaved, feeling bullets whizz past his ears and wincing at the sensation, seeing other students rush past him or be struck down by another, it shook him to his very soul at the utter chaos.He stayed determined and focused til he saw the edge of the woods and burst out, back into the light beyond.

...and what he saw made him immediately want to retreat back into that hellish thicket he’d just escaped from.

* * *

Yasmin was finally clear of the savannah, a little worse for wear. What had initially looked like easy open terrain had become a death trap, with huge swarms of Grimm running to face them. She’d opted that flight was the better option and had allowed some of the others to take the brunt, having daintily dodged her way through them and now was onto the second stage of the Gauntlet, feeling a brief pang of guilt for that raincoat clad girl who’d been running ahead of them.

Spanning out in front of her was a series of wetlands, grassy tussocks raised amidst great flowing streams of water, some as thin as a ribbon, others as wide as a street. On closer inspection, Yasmin spotted moving black shapes hiding in the water and behind the grass. This section was Grimm infested, not as much as the savannah, but enough to keep her on her toes.

A sharp crunch behind her drew her attention. She saw that the large pack of Grimm was finally thinning and some of the others were catching up to her, taking particular note of a black haired boy wielding golden maces and a strange pastel haired girl holding a large garish looking lance. She was losing her lead.

Turning on her heel, Yasmin dashed forward into the waterlogged glades beyond. She bounded over a small stream with no issue, raced over a grassy tussock and dashed for a larger river with a rock jutting out of its middle. Before she could reach, a Beowolf leapt out to surprise her, striking at her chest with its claw. But she was quicker, opening one of a pair of large fans, blocking the claw and flicking it off to one side. Then with her other fan, she brought it round in a crescent motion, slicing the beast’s head clean off, its body disappearing into darkness.

A bounding hop over the stream brought her closer to her goal before she was attacked by two more Beowolves, coming at her from either side. Her fans flicked open to block them before she leapt back onto the stepping stone to gain distance and collapsed her fans, the pair becoming elongated pistols. She opened fire on the Beowolves, the shots riddling them as they tried to approach, splashing into the water before they couldn’t take it anymore and vanished into the rapids.

She smiled as she hopped back onto land, opening her fans up again and continuing onward, running through the slick grass.

“Hm, still a few more up ahead… perhaps I should stay back, allow my peers to take some weight off.” Yasmin thought aloud as she moved. “Though can I afford to take such a risk, they said our individual times would be graded… hm. I wonder if they’ll be watching this and taking note of my-”  
  
“COMING THROOOOUGH!” Her thoughts were cast aside as she instinctively leapt to the bank, the soaring form of a student holding onto a spiral lance soared past her, her body a blur of pink, yellow and blue. Her weapon seemed to have small boosters attached to it, rocketing her forward like that.

* * *

Yasmin frowned, she’d gotten too wrapped up in thinking and now one of her opponents was getting ahead of her. She collapsed her fans and followed the girl, hearing the footsteps of the rest of her peers.

The girl up ahead flew right into a Beowolf and her lance went straight through it. Then another. And then another, making a triple Grimm shishkabob before she finally crashed into a stream. Yasmin was behind by a decent ways now, dashing and bouncing over rivers to try and catch up with her. She was so preoccupied with catching up to the pastel haired girl, she failed to spot something lurking in the next large river. And when she leapt, the great black tail of a Taijitu rose up and struck her in mid air, sending her sprawling, getting her clothes wet on the damp grass.

She winced as she got back up. She’d allowed herself to be distracted, how foolish… she could practically feel her brother’s scorn at her mistake. The serpent rose out of the river and its mighty head stared her down. Yasmin picked herself up and opened her fans with redoubled vigor… perhaps this exam was more trouble than she’d expected.

* * *

 Cedar found himself staring into a large group of Grimm, all running towards him and the scattered group filing out of the bushes. There were Beowolves leading the charge across the cracked earth with Ursas lumbering behind them, at least numbering three in total. That was three more than Cedar had ever seen in his life.

He could feel the fear in the others emerging from the woods, their quarrels forgotten in the wake of humanity’s enemy, bearing down on them. One way or another, they’d have to go through them to proceed, the star shining behind them. Cedar had to conquer his fears if they were ever going to get through this exam.

He moved quickly, bringing out his auto crossbow he’d been stowing and taking out three bolts from his hip quiver. The hatch atop clicked open and Cedar slid the bolts in. Then he aimed and fired, shooting them at three spots in front of the pack. The bolts struck the broken earth and exploded into slick ice, freezing one Beowolf over and causing the others to slip and slow the group down. That’d give the others more time to plan their own strategies.

“Fightin’ time, fellas! Last one in’s a rotten egg!” Cedar was caught by surprise as Ozzy from before bounded right over him and went rushing into the Grimm crowd. He barely even had time to spot those boxing gloves he was wearing before he made contact with the group. There was a resounding thwack as one of the Beowolfs was sent flying off to the left from a single punch! Then another, a strong kick knocked it away to the right! That boy’s strength was incredible!

A surge of confidence welled up inside him and Cedar rushed in to back the boy up. He loaded up a regular bolt and fired it into a Beowolf looming over him, catching it enough for Ozzy to jump out of the way of its swinging claw and deliver a solid roundhouse kick to its face. Cedar had to admit, the boy’s athleticism was pretty amazing for his age.

He was snapped out of his admiration when he realised a Beowolf had taken issue with him and was headed his way. No time to reload and fire, he had to go into melee mode. He twisted the back handle of his crossbow and pushed it forward, the device slipping onto his arm. From the middle, a long sword blade sprung out, the Faunus hunkering a little lower as the Beowolf lunged at him. Cedar quickly ducked under its swing to the left and brought his sword around in a stab, striking into the Beowolf’s belly.

The Grimm yowled in pain and quickly swatted at Cedar with its right paw, the young Faunus rolling swiftly underneath the Beowolf and nicking its other side whilst standing up. This time the beast lunged at him with its jaws and he couldn’t find an opening to dodge, so he caught its jaws on his sword and held his guard. But the beast was stronger, biting the metal and forcing him backward. Then, one ill placed step and Cedar fell backward. He froze up in fear as the Beowolf rose over him.

Before Cedar could think of what to do, an object flew seemingly around the Beowolf’s head and somehow it dropped right off, the entire beast fading into darkness. Standing nearby was a boy in a purple tailcoat, glasses covering his eyes and a casual smile on his face. In his right hand, Cedar spied an odd looking yo-yo.

“Come come, don’t sit around! There’s still more to deal with!” he said cheerily.

* * *

Biting her lip slightly, Lariah put all her speed into one mad dash across the geyser field. She’d already seen that jagged haired blonde boy blown back and other students going up in water torrents, she didn’t want to join them. The exit star was so close now, the risk was worth it! Her boots dug in as she crossed the end of the geyser field, yelping slightly as another spout went off to her left and spattered her with water. But at last, she made it, she was out of the field and into the thick reeds of the next area.

“Mighty fine runnin’ pardner.” Isaac was waiting for her with his warm smile. The two had forged something of an alliance in the canyon area when the blonde haired boy tried to block the path with a boulder, watching each other’s backs. When Isaac had been attacked by Boarbatusks, Lariah had backed him up. And when she was scared in the geyser fields, he had forged ahead to provide support. Now here they were, progressing through the vast cornfield with the exit star so very close now.

That was when the Nevermores showed up. Three of them in total, black swathing feathers blotting out the light from above. The two shared a look, knowing they’d have to fight through them.

“I’ll break em up, y’all can hit em when they get close.” Isaac instructed her, the copper haired girl nodding quickly. The cowboy drew his weapon, a large four barrel shotgun, and aimed it upward at the incoming Nevermores. He fired one shell and it exploded with fire dust, becoming a great series of sparks and fireworks in the sky, disorienting the avian adversaries. One of them swooped low, talons wide and grasping for them.

Once it was close enough, Lariah swung her weapon at it, a mighty flail with the head of a sea mine, slamming into its head. When it struck, the ball on the chain seemed to explode on contact, sending the entire beast flying to the left and spiralling into fading blackness.

“YES!” Lariah shouted in jubilation, a broad grin on her face.

“Behind ya!” Isaac warned her as Lariah quickly hit the deck, barely missing the talons of one of the two remaining Nevermores. Isaac fired up at the passing bird whilst Lariah got back up, the corn around her uprooted and torn. When they prepared for another aerial attack, her ears caught something rustling, rushing through the cornfield ahead of them.

“Isaac! We got more incoming!” Lariah shouted, spinning up her flail overhead.

“I hear em.” Isaac agreed, turning his weapon toward the oncoming horde of Creeps. He fired his two remaining shells, cutting down a few in the buckshot whilst Lariah swung her flail and clobbered a bunch that got too close. Then the Nevermores circled around, coming back for another attack, swooping at them.

Both were met by golden cannonballs striking it in the face and knocking it away, accompanied by a great bellow of a brass instrument. The dark skinned blonde was right behind them, blowing into a trombone weapon, great cannonballs of golden energy shooting out at the flying beasts.

“Thanks!” Lariah gave her a thumbs up as the trio continued to move and fight through the cornfield, getting closer and closer to the end.

* * *

 

“Thanks for helping out back there.” Cedar said to the glasses wearing boy, whom had introduced himself as Martin.

“No problem!” He replied, cheerily. “Just doing what any self respecting huntsman should do!” Even though the teacher before said it was every man for himself, Cedar thought.

“Do you seriously use that yo-yo as a weapon?” Cedar asked as the pair of them were leading their group into the final area, a land of brimstone and torrents of magma, the smell of ash and smoke hanging in the air.

“Why yes! You see it all began when I was a young lad, my father bought me a yo-yo for my birthday, and-”

“Okay nevermind, tell me later.” Cedar cut him off, realising there were Grimm up ahead, lesser than the wasteland area, but still numerous. “We’ve got incoming.”

“Roger that.” Martin nodded. Cedar slipped his weapon off his arm and switched it back into crossbow form, loading it up with five bolts. As they ran over the ashen earth, he fired them at the oncoming Beowolves, landing two headshots and managing to stop a third moving with two hits to the front legs. His last bolt missed.

“I think we can make it… just past those lava pools up ahead.” Cedar pointed them out as the two drew closer, the star shining brighter and brighter in the sky. They skirted around the burning pools, the acrid smell of brimstone hitting him as they dodged around it. Another small pit and a Creeps surprised them, leaping out to attack. Martin caught it, flicking his yo-yo at it and smacking it in the face, knocking it backward into the lava where it sank and vanished.

“I can see the exit!” Cedar cried out,the shining star visible over a doorway at the end of the brimstone land. They were close now, nothing was left standing in their way. But as they reached the door, Cedar heard a cry of distress behind him and turned on the spot. Not too far back, he saw another kid struggling with a King Taijitu, holding back its snakelike jaws with blades mounted on his arms. He also spied some of the other students behind him, running for the exit, including the grey haired kid.

Cedar faced a choice. Leave the Gauntlet for a better time… or help the kid behind him. That threat of the last four being expelled blared in his head like a warning siren. He looked back and forth, frantic and uncertain. Martin was already gone, he wasn’t even sure who else had finished yet, how could he know?!

In the end, he ran past those headed for the exit and went to help the black haired student. He loaded up his crossbow and fired a few lightning bolts at the King Taijitu, the voltage stunning it long enough for the other kid to break free. Then Cedar watched as his forearm blades opened into three, turning the weapon into a pair of claws and the boy unloaded on the snake, slashing it with deep cuts and scars til it finally cut through and severed its head. The boy dropped and panted slightly, turning to Cedar with a worried look.

“T-thank you…” he mumbled, his demeanour surprisingly meek considering what he’d just done.

“It’s alright.” Cedar nodded. “Cmon, we’ve got a test to finish.” he pointed to the exit and the boy caught on. As they ran, Cedar noticed a pair of animal ears in the boy’s hair, black and white badger ears. He smiled, that making him feel a little better about saving him.

“I-I’m Brock, by the way.” the badger Faunus said. “Brock Rathbone.”

“Cedar Glade.” the fox Faunus responded. “We can talk proper once we’re through, okay?”

“Sure, r-right…” Brock was quiet as both boys scurried for the exit, lagging behind the bulk of the other candidates now across the hot testing area. With Cedar clinging to the hope he hadn’t just screwed himself out of victory, he dashed into the doorway with the star shining above.

 

The exam was over.


	3. Alliances Forged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Gauntlet complete, the teams are formed and friendships begin to bloom. Cedar must ask himself if he can trust his new teammates and if he can fight alongside them, with his secrets burning inside him.

 

Cedar was bent double, puffing and panting from running for the exit, the adrenaline starting to wear off. The Gauntlet had tested him thoroughly, but he'd finally made it out. Beyond the door marked by the shining star, he found a simple looking waiting room, seats at the walls, a water cooler with cups nearby and a stairway leading up and, presumably, out. Some of the others who had finished the exam were sitting there too, catching their breath and taking a moment to recuperate. He spotted Yasmin sitting up straight and looking mildly annoyed, her pretty dress smeared with mud and damp in places. Isaac was there too, drinking deeply from a cup of water. Lariah was also there, wiping her brow, her strong arms glistening slightly with beads of sweat. At a guess, Cedar assumed they'd only just arrived, same as he did.

There were others who looked far less haggard. He spied Martin leaning on the wall, playing with his yo-yo, apparently having not noticed Cedar didn't follow him through the exit. There was a tall guy with a mask over his eyes, Cedar didn't even remember seeing him earlier. The dark skinned blonde in the sharp suit was there too, seated with one leg crossed over her lap. No sign of the grey haired kid, maybe he'd already gone back up…

"Cedar!" Lariah approached him suddenly. "You made it!"

"Just about." Cedar smiled back at her. It was hard to feel down around her, even when he felt a little down about being the last one out. "It was a bit touch and go back there."

"You too huh? We had it hard. That geyser field was scary…" Lariah frowned thinking back to it.

"Well we wouldn'ta made it s'far without yer mace flingin'." Isaac complemented, looking over at the two.

"Oh cmon, you're the one who blew away those big dumb birds!" Lariah returned, going back over to talk to the large boy, leaving Cedar for the time being.

"E-excuse me?" Brock caught Cedar's attention, the Faunus standing behind him after they'd escaped the Gauntlet. "Thank you, for helping me back there."

"It's fine, really." Cedar smiled wryly. "I just hope we don't get expelled for it…"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Yasmin spoke up with the slightest of smiles, glancing over at the Faunus pair. "I expect that mention of expulsion wasn't true."

"Wait, what? What makes you think that?" Cedar looked at her, a mixture of disbelief and suspicion on his face.

"Unless students were failing quite terribly in the Gauntlet, why immediately expel them? It makes far more sense to keep them and train them at least a little. Besides…" she smirked. "My brother told me they said something similar to him during his entrance exam at Haven Academy."

"So I stressed out over nothing… cool." Cedar swept a hand over his forehead and removed his goggles, slightly relieved and slightly annoyed he'd been fooled.

"Come, no sense waiting around here. Let's head out." Yasmin beckoned them toward the stairs, Lariah and Isaac getting up from their seats to follow her. Cedar's ears perked up slightly and he bounded after them, up into the light, happy to leave the Gauntlet behind him.

At the top of the stairs, they emerged back onto the school grounds amidst the soft red grass, a winding white path leading around toward the school building, the other students who had left the Gauntlet were already filing back ahead of him. Cedar trailed behind the others, regaining his spirit and his strength and putting away his weapon. He'd used a couple of bolts in the exam, good thing he'd brought plenty of spares with him.

They sat back down in the academy's hall and awaited the other exam attendees. It took another few minutes for everyone to return, Miss Lariet and Headmaster Birchwood arriving last, stepping back onstage.

"Well, first of all," Miss Lariet began "we'd like to congratulate all of you on passing the entrance exam. Next, i'd like to apologise for the little fib regarding expulsion if you finished last." Yasmin smirked at Cedar and the Faunus once again felt foolish. "That lie was told to bring out the best in all of you for the sake of this exam, but we will not be using such methods in future, rest assured." She smiled somewhat sheepishly, like she was embarrassed at her own underhanded method. "Now then, the headmaster and I have checked the footage of all of you during the exam. Based on your performances and your completion times, we've sorted you into teams of four. When your name is called, please come onstage."

Cedar edged forward slightly on his seat, both worried about who he'd get paired with and eager to see the other forming teams. The first ones called up were some he recognised.

"Silas Sleet, Terance Thunderhead, Remus Fogg, April Showers." The headmaster called them up. There was they grey haired kid who'd shot at him during the exam, the jagged haired blonde he'd seen talking to Lariah, some other kid with a bandana on his head and the cute girl in the raincoat. "I hereby name you as, team Star." The headmaster addressed the four once they'd lined up onstage. "And you shall be led by, Silas Sleet." Then the four sat down, the grey haired kid looking particularly proud of himself in a way that irked Cedar. That kid had shot at him, how was he fit to lead his team? He felt a little bad for the girl in the raincoat...

"Violetta Georgia, Stizza Hamelin, Pazice Gjaller, Raijin Kuro." Next up was some violet haired girl he didn't recognised, the masked fellow who finished ahead of him, the dark skinned blonde and some black haired kid with a white band round his head. "I hereby name you as, team Vesper. And you shall be led by, Violetta Georgia." The violet haired girl looked very happy about that and the masked one just nodded slightly, his face showing scant emotion. Cedar was curious about the masked kid, had he somehow finished in their group without him even noticing? How skilled was he? The headmaster began reading more names.

"Martin Thistle, Oswald Wa-"

"That's Ozzy, mate!" The copper haired kid interrupted him, earning a steely glare from Birchwood that made even that spunky spirit settle down a little.

" _Ozzy_ Wattle." Birchwood repeated. "Brock Rathbone. Candi Cotton." Cedar watched as the familiar glasses wearing eccentric headed onstage, followed by the hot blooded bruiser, a pastel haired girl in bright clothing and the familiar Faunus he'd saved before, now wearing his jacket around his waist. "You four shall now be, team Torch. And you shall be led by, Martin Thistle." They all seemed happy about that. And Cedar was too, he trusted Martin's skill and he liked Brock. Ozzy he admired, to say the least. After that, more teams were announced and Cedar drew closer and closer to the edge of his seat when time after time, his name wasn't called, his anticipation and his concern growing and growing. Then, just when all seemed lost…

"And finally, Isaac Carbon, Cedar Glade, Yasmin Ginshi and Lariah Marine." Cedar's name finally came up and as he bounded onstage and stood beside the others. He was brimming with excitement, standing facing Headmaster Birchwood. "Together, your four will become, team Icicle. And you shall be led by… Isaac Carbon."

Well, Cedar wouldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't disappointed. He would've liked to lead the team… but he liked his other team members, so he was alright with this. He'd have to put his trust in the portly cowboy… he seemed like a decent guy. But time would tell.

With that, they returned to their seats and all present students had been sorted into teams. Miss Lariet returned to the podium.

"Now, before we end today's ceremony, there's a few things we need to go over. First, now you're all sorted into teams, you will be sharing rooms together. Please collect your keys before you go upstairs. And finally, dinner is being served in the cantina. We've a special menu to celebrate your acceptance and all food is complimentary. Also, school schedules will be available on the school's network so make sure you download it before classes tomorrow! And that's everything, so please, enjoy the rest of today. You have all earned it, students of Lustre Academy."

And with that, the newly inaugurated students of Lustre Academy began to file out. Cedar, brimming with happiness, picked up his key and went to the cantina with the others. It was a larger room on the western side of the academy grounds, a long room with diamond shaped tables, two seats at each face. The floor was slick and tiled and the serving area had large television screens displaying the menu for the day. Cuisine from all over Remnant, Cedar's belly started growling just from the prospect! He hadn't even realised how hungry he was… the exam took more out of him than he'd expected.

Deciding he'd sample a beef bowl commonly found in Mistral, Cedar carried his meal on a tray back with him and eventually found a table where his new teammates were seated. He noted Isaac was eagerly digging into a large juicy steak with several other forms of meat crowding his plate, including bacon, sausages and pork ribs. Lariah had a plate of grilled salmon with a leafy salad surrounding it. Yasmin had also chosen Mistrallian food, stir fry noodles. He sat down without question at the diamond shaped table, sitting beside Lariah. It felt a little surreal, knowing these three were now his teammates and they were already having a meal together despite only knowing each other for less than aday. It put him in mind to life at home, the automatic knowledge of sitting to table when his Dad had cooked dinner.

"So um…" Cedar broke the silence, regretting it slightly as the three turned to look at him. "Guess… we're teammates now, huh?" He mentally kicked himself for sounding so inane.

"That we are." Yasmin smiled in agreement. "And from here on out, we need to act like one."

"I agree." Isaac spoke up. "How bout we do a lil' meet n' greet in terms of what we can do once we mosey on up to our room?"

"Erm, pardon?" Cedar blinked, unsure of what Isaac was saying.

"I think he means, we should show each other our weapons and explain our semblances." Lariah added, a lump of fish on her fork.

"S'bout right." Isaac mumbled through a mouthful of beef.

"Yes, I agree. We can gauge one another's skills and abilities and start working on team synergy." Yasmin agreed with a slight nod. "There's a lot of other teams to compete against after all." a slight competitive flare gleamed in her eyes. Cedar would just be happy having a room at all that night, let alone strategy talk.

Once they'd finished their meals, Lariah led the way through the academy, claiming she'd already memorised the map on her scroll. And she was still claiming that once she led them to the training gym and the back gardens, twice. But eventually, they found their way to the student lodgings and found their room. He was pleasantly surprised when he found their team name, ICYL, had already been added to their door via a metal name plate.

The room's interior was quite nice. The walls were a little bare, painted light blue on the left and right walls and white on the front and back. The floor was covered by a rich dark blue carpet, four metal frame beds sitting at each corner of the room. A large window sat across from the door with metal fittings. There was another door off to the right leading to an en suite bathroom. The lights were indented into the plastered ceiling and there were some basic furnishings, a wardrobe, some bookshelves, bedside tables and a desk and chair on the left side. Cedar had to admit it, it sure beat his old cramped room back home!

"Man, this is way bigger than my old room!" Lariah vocalised what Cedar was saying.

"Pretty cosy…" Isaac nodded, arms folded.

"Definitely needs a little work. But that can wait until tomorrow." Yasmin sighed, dragging her suitcase in and claiming a bed for herself without asking for it. Cedar made sure to get one too as he began to unpack his bag. There were neat little storage drawers under the bed that Cedar filled up with socks and shorts before hanging up his shirts and jackets in the wardrobe, once Yasmin was done filling it up with flowery looking dresses and Lariah had hung up a single tank top. Once they were done, they sat down on their beds with their weapons and agreed to go one by one to explain their semblance and show off their weapons.

"Well, since i'm the leader, guess i'll go first." No-one fought Isaac on that front. He hefted up his weapon, the huge four barrel shotgun, black iron barrels and a soft wooden handle. "This here's Outlaw Sunday. She fires bout four shells, got plenty of dust types."

"You fire all four barrels at once…?" Cedar leaned forward slightly. "Wouldn't the kickback hurt a lot?"

"It does." Isaac chuckled. "But it only fires s'many dependin' on how hard I squeeze the trigger here. S'all controlled." he continued. He then pulled down on the pump of the shotgun, all four barrels widening to make an X shape. He then pulled further back and a long metal pole extended from the middle of the four barrels, the end of the barrels covered by iron clasps. "And with this here staff, she becomes a pretty nice pick mace." Cedar couldn't help but think it looked a little unwieldy, but for someone with Isaac's stature, he supposed he was able to handle it.

"So, what about your semblance?" Yasmin asked.

"Ah, s'little hard to explain." Isaac chuckled. Suddenly he glowed slightly black with what seemed like smoke rising off of him. His hands were a blur as within seconds, his weapon was in its prior form and in his hands. "M'semblance slows down everythin' fer me and gives me a chance to do somethin'. Motion's cancelled outside'a it though, so I can't go movin' my legs or windin' up some big attack or some such."

"That's quite useful indeed." Yasmin nodded, seemingly impressed. "You can plan ahead and reload that weapon of yours before the enemy can even react."

"What can I say? Sometimes you gotta be fast to take it slow." he chuckled deeply and Cedar groaned at how awful that joke was.

"Okay, I call dibs next!" Lariah interrupted, hefting a huge chain and what looked like an attached sea mine onto the bed. Cedar had to resist the urge not to duck and cover in fear of it exploding. "This is my baby, Daedalus Detonator. She hits hard and she leaves a dent! But if I wanna leave a crater instead, well." she pried open a part of the sea mine, revealing an internal mechanism, small shooting devices and what looked like dust power inside. "If a trigger on the ball is pressed, it'll shoot out explosive dust around it! And if I hit something with that, it'll go boom!" she grinned broadly at her little explosive secret.

"You just keep an explosive with you like that?!" Cedar was really on edge seeing her casually open it and show it off.

"Oh relax, the chain has a trigger that de-activates it. I can make it explode whenever I want." she giggled teasingly and pointed to it on the chain. The Faunus breathed a sigh of relief. "Now as for my semblance…" she began glowing a bright blue aura, moving in waves akin to water. Suddenly the room seemed to shift and Cedar found himself hunkering down slightly, as if a huge weight had been slipped onto his shoulders, akin to standing on the ocean bed!. Yasmin and Isaac too were affected, finding it hard to sit up straight, whilst Lariah sat there, arms folded, almost entirely unphased. Then she stopped glowing and everything returned to normal, Cedar feeling the weight lift off of him. "You get it? I manipulate gravity! I get affected too, but i've trained to be resistant to it!" Cedar couldn't help but gasp a little with the weight gone. A semblance like that with a weapon THAT destructive?! Lariah was definitely the powerhouse of their team.

"No wonder them Grimm could barely shift ya." Isaac chuckled, patting the muscular girl on the back.

"Yep, you can't shift me for all the might of the ocean!" Lariah boasted, the widest smile on her face.

"Moving on." Yasmin steered the conversation back to herself. She picked up the two closed fans at her side and opened them, revealing their decorated patterns of curled lines and leaping rabbits, the fan edge lined with sharp looking blades. "Zhan and Zheng. Fan-blades by nature. And pistols." she flicked them shut and the handles flicked out from below them, barrels clicking out of the fan's collapsed sections. Cedar noted they were quite ornate and mechanically intricate… not something a normal student would build themselves. He wondered if she'd had help.

"My semblance is a simple one." Her body glowed with a yellow aura rising like heat. And in an instant, two identical copies of her were seated at either side of her bed. "I triplicate myself." All three versions of her spoke in unison. "We move in time and we all take damage. I implement it with grace and style." Then her two copies shifted back into her and she was one person again.

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Lariah nodded enthusiastically. "You could ambush enemies all by yourself!"

"Mighty handy." Isaac agreed.

"Yes it definitely has its uses." Yasmin agreed, a little prideful. And then all three turned to look at Cedar. He felt a great pressure settle onto him, and this time it wasn't Lariah's semblance. He felt nervous, having seen his teammates amazing abilities and believing his wouldn't stack up in comparison.

"Well… um…" he held out his automatic crossbow on his lap. "This is Rundasbane. It's… well it's usually an auto crossbow. And, I use these bolts in my quiver." he held one out to show it to them. "But, twist the handle here and…" he slipped it onto his arm and the sword came out with a sharp snikt. "Arm sword… that's about it." There was a silence that, to Cedar at least, seemed to last forever. He was expecting them to start laughing, almost...

"It's quite charming." Yasmin noted the look of the blade. "Small and not very flashy, but effective. Especially as a crossbow."

"I suspect y'got some good aim with that thing. Covers up our long range pretty nicely." Isaac smiled supportively. Cedar felt a little better about his weapon.

"So, what about your semblance?" Lariah queried, leaning forward. Cedar fumbled for a moment, feeling a knot tighten up inside his stomach. Maybe it was just the beef bowl not agreeing with him, but more likely it was his nerves again. He felt at odds with himself, thinking quickly on what he should do.

"I…" he began to speak, mustering up a little courage. "I've not unlocked it yet." he lied.

"Oh… well, that's a shame." Lariah frowned, somewhat disappointed.

"Well y'know what they say, great things come with time." Isaac assured him. "I betcha you'll unlock it just from trainin' with us."

"Yes, it's nothing to be too concerned over." Yasmin added, offering a somewhat sympathetic smile… right until she flicked her fan over her mouth and her eyes took on that. "So long as you're not lying to us about it."

"What? No!" Cedar instantly responded, hoping Yasmin hadn't just seen right through him. "I… I'm not proud of it, but It's true. I just… never unlocked it." Yasmin eyed him suspiciously, Cedar felt himself shivering, his fox ears drooping a little.

"...well, alright then." Yasmin snapped her fan shut. "I trust you, Cedar. As your teammate."

"And friend!" Lariah added. Cedar nodded as well, his ears perking up again slightly as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks guys." He smiled weakly.

"Well, now that that's bout done, I say we get ourselves some shut eye. Classes n' all tomorrow." Isaac recommended. Almost in direct response, Cedar found himself yawning slightly. They took turns going into the bathroom to change into their sleeping clothes. Yasmin returning in an elegant flower patterned silk nightie, Isaac a simple black shirt and shorts, Lariah a tank top and longer trousers with fish patterns. Cedar just slipped on a button up green pajama shirt and trousers to match, feeling far more comfortable in them. After that, they said their goodnights and climbed into their beds, drawing the blinds on the window and switching the lights off. Darkness and quietude engulfed the room and settled the newly formed team down into a long night's slumber.

All except for Cedar. He laid awake, staring up at the ceiling, nerves and doubt wracking his mind. He glanced over at the other beds, his teammates already fast asleep. He couldn't get his mind off of their show and tell… he'd lied to his teammates. It wasn't because he didn't trust them, he was just embarrassed and ashamed of himself.

He knew full well what his semblance was and how it worked. But not only was he ashamed of his semblance and that he hadn't mastered it… he thought it would be useless for a huntsman to have. It was nothing cool or special. Ever since he discovered it in combat school, he'd done his best to hide it and thus, hadn't practiced trying to master it. No, he couldn't tell them, not yet… he didn't want to let them down, not so soon after they'd become a team. Maybe someday he'd tell them. But for now, it had to be his secret… not unless he wanted to become dead weight on his own team. At least it wasn't hurting them for the time being.

His doubts finally quelled, he was able to let his eyes close and drift off into slumber. Tomorrow was a new day, after all. A new day with new friends and new people. His chance to shine. His chance to prove himself. To himself… and to her.


	4. The Foundations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the teams formed and the students together, now their school life at Lustre can begin. What awaits them in this fantastical school upon this strange land?

BIBEEP! BIBEEP! BIBEEP!

The alarm on Cedar’s scroll woke him the next morning, the repeating beeps raising him from a dreamless slumber until he tapped it to turn it off. He sat up and blinked his eyes open, shaking his head slightly as his fox ears perked up. Glancing around the room, he almost expected it to be his room back at home, with the wardrobe at the foot of the bed, window to his right, the tatty red rug stretching out beside his bed and the wafting scent of breakfast creeping under the door. But as he looked around and remembered he was still at Lustre Academy, he smiled slightly. It hadn’t quite felt real yesterday, but waking up in this room, now it felt real. He’d made it… he wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet.

The next thing that drew his attention was the sound of running water and the rising steam from the bathroom, someone was showering. Considering he could see Isaac still asleep, snoring noisily and Lariah still in bed, he guessed it was Yasmin who was showering. He stood up and moved to get his clothes from the wardrobe, but when he was checking for his normal clothes, he found something he wasn’t expecting, some identical articles of clothing he didn’t remember bringing, nor did he remember anyone adding it to the wardrobe. Three dark blue sweater vests, three long sleeve cream shirts, two sets of blue trousers and a similarly coloured skirt with a cream lining and three dark blue ties, lined with three light blue diamond symbols.

Yasmin emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair and her body clothed in one of the outfits Cedar had spied in the wardrobe, though her feet were currently bare and a rich smell of soap wafted out from the bathroom.

“Aaahhh. This fits me nicely. All the measurements are correct. Much better than I was expecting.” Yasmin was admiring herself, checking the length of the skirt and her shirt.

“Umm… why are you wearing that?” Cedar asked idly, still a little dozy.

“It’s my uniform, silly.” Yasmin giggled. “There’s one for each of us. You might want to get yours on before these two get up and hog the bathroom.” she joked, gesturing to her two slumbering teammates. “My hair still needs to dry anyway.”

“Um, right.” Cedar took one of the outfits, the smaller of the two of course, before he headed into the bathroom. He showered up, having brought his own soap and shampoo with him, he needed something special so it wouldn’t affect his fox ears natural fur. Once he was washed and dried, he tried on his new outfit. It was a good fit, decently comfy, though he took a few minutes fumbling with the tie and watching himself in the bathroom mirror. He’d miss wearing his scarf and gloves… but it did look a little more official. He emerged back into the bedroom where the rest of his team were now awake.

“Heeey Cedar! You look kinda cute.” Lariah beamed at him and the Faunus smiled a little shyly.

“Not that cute… but you should probably try yours on, too.” He mentioned.

“Oooh right! We better hurry or we’ll miss breakfast!” Lariah dashed into the bathroom with not even a hint of debate from Isaac, who still seemed very weary. A little while later, all four of them were dressed and making their way down to the dining hall from last night. It was clean as ever and a number of students had already arrived, seated at tables of queueing for food, everyone in uniform. Cedar couldn’t help but feel a little proud, even comfortable as they joined the line. Their uniformity, it felt like he was really one of them. A normal student training to be a huntsman… he briefly wondered if being excited over something so mundane was sad, silly or both.

Whilst walking over to a table with a bowl of porridge, Cedar spied someone waving at him.

“Oi, shortyfox!” It was Ozzy, the copper haired loudmouth who was waving at him from a table. “Come sit with us, eh? We could use the company!” The rest of team TORC were seated next to him. A little chat with ICYL and soon both teams were sharing a table together. Somehow, Martin made the school uniform look even smarter, whilst Ozzy had somehow already gotten food on his sweater vest too, mangling a plate of scrambled eggs in the meantime.

“I’m so excited for class today!” The girl Cedar vaguely remembered as Candi piped up, her shocking pink hair with slight blue highlights catching his eyes, a bowl of sugary cereal set in front of her. “Do any of you guys know what we’re doing first?”

“I believe it’s history first.” Martin spoke up, showing his scroll with the class schedule on it.

“Well that’s just dandy.” Isaac smiled, making his way through a fry up on his plate. “I ain’t too partial to history round my home, so I wanna find out s’more.”

“You said you’re from Vacuo, right?” Lariah glanced his way, a kipper idly stuck on her fork. “So you guys don’t hear much about history over there?”

“Not s’much.” Isaac shook his head. “Was kinda homeschooled and we didn’t have all too many books.”

“Bah who needs it!” Ozzy scoffed, his mouth full of egg and toast. “All ya need to be a huntsman is a good punchin’ arm and the common sense not to stand in a Grimm’s swingin’ range! Who needs history?!”

“Mind yourself, Ozzy.” Yasmin smirked, picking at an omelette. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

“Yes, miss Yasmin has the right idea.” Martin nodded, Yasmin raising a suggestive eyebrow at his compliment. “We should all be sure to study hard alongside our combat practice, both will be important.”

“Studying’s hard…” Lariah frowned, slightly bemused. “I tried to study with Dad a couple times… it didn’t work out.”

“Come on, we’ll all help each other!” Candi leaned over the table, her pale yellow eyes sparkling with an unusual gleam. “We can be one big study group!”

“Maybe we should actually see what we’re working with first.” Martin suggested, adjusted his glasses slightly whilst Cedar stood up, having finished his breakfast whilst they were talking. He made his way over to a stack on the right side of the room to put his tray and bowl away when he walked by a familiar blonde haired boy. The two collided in passing and Cedar suffered the worst of it, the bump making him stumble before he tripped and fell forward, face planting right into his bowl and covering his face in his leftovers. The room around him went quiet as people turned to look at the Faunus who’d fallen over. The silence was deafening as Cedar raised his porridge smeared face from the floor.

“Watch where you’re going, mutt.” Terrance growled, only looking back for a moment before he continued walking. That word… mutt… Cedar was familiar with it. Back in combat school when the other kids made fun of his Faunus traits, mutt was one of the things they called him. All that feeling of belonging drained away along with the colour in his face, his ears limp and his body stiff, finding himself unable to even get up off the floor.

“Now hold up there, pardner.” Isaac was suddenly standing, facing down with Terrance, his face a picture of calm but with a distilled anger bubbling behind his eyes. “Y’all bumped into my buddy there and sent him sprawlin’. You oughta apologise.” Cedar looked back at him in surprise, the room focused on them. The blonde boy’s teeth gritted as he stood against Isaac.

“Your  _ buddy  _ wasn’t looking where he was going, butterball.” Terrance accused him, folding his arms. “You got a problem with that?”

“Matter of fact, I do.  _ And _ I got a problem with that insult.” Isaac returned, both boys emitting a great aura of intensity as they stared each other down.

“Not my fault you eat more than anyone in this hall.” Terrance returned, his eyes narrow and spiteful.

“Not what’s important, friend. Y’shouldn’t be knockin’ folks over like that.” Isaac replied, firm and calm.

“I’m gonna smack you if you keep accusing me for your friend being clumsy..” Terrance spat as Cedar watched, Lariah moving to help him up in the meantime. Were they really going to start a fight here?

“Maybe we should settle this here, pardner. Been a while since I done some proper wrasslin’.” Isaac seemed more than intent to throw down, when someone intervened.

“Now now you two, calm down.” A grey haired boy said, someone Cedar recognised as Silas, Terrance’s teammate. “It was just an accident after all, no need to be so hostile over it.”

“Hostile? Pardon me but it was your buddy who insulted mine.” Isaac countered, not impressed with the smooth talking mediator.

“Oh please, it was an off handed remark. Terrance doesn’t actually mean that.” Silas assured him coolly, looking to his blonde friend. “Isn’t that right?”

“...yeah.” Terrance seemed to simmer down a little, his teeth no longer grinding and his arms unfolding.

“See? Now let’s stop this fighting business before a teacher shows up, shall we? Don’t want to make a bad impression on the first day, after all.” Silas continued, smiling at Isaac who was finding it difficult to get a word in. Silas just took his hulking teammate back to their table whilst Cedar felt a mix of confusion and sadness.

“Creep.” Lariah muttered with a frown, wiping Cedar’s face with her napkin to clean the porridge stains off. “Are you okay?”

“A little.” Cedar lied, still unsettled by his comment and looking a fool in front of his new peers. The front of his uniform was a little scuffed too, which he brushed down, his ears still flopped over his head.

“Who the bloomin’ hell does he think he is?!” Ozzy snapped once the two were sat back at their table. “Callin’ a Faunus a mutt, bloomin’ cheek…”

“He probably didn’t mean it like that…” Brock tried to speak up. He shared a knowing look with Cedar, the two sharing a mutual understanding of Faunus torment.

“Perhaps we should steer clear of their group in future.” Martin recommended, having watched the whole thing over the rim of his glasses. Then the bell rang nearby and everyone got up to go to class. Cedar trailed behind his team as they put their trays away and walked on, his head  down as he tried to recover his shattered pride.

A little wandering later and they found their classroom, a large square room with seats and stacked tables lining the back walls which the students began to fill, stairs cutting through the middle of the room and leading down toward the front area. That area was dominated by a large antique looking desk with a polished wooden surface and ornately carved patterns spiralling around its corners and sides. A large leather seat sat behind it, probably the most modern furnishing in the room. Strung up on the walls behind the desk were framed pieces of parchment, depicting maps, sketches of Grimm and huntsmen of the past. And most interestingly of all, a wooden mannequin dressed up in an antique suit of armour, composed of green and silver metal with a sword in hand, keeping a watchful eye over the room, like a valiant guard at his post.

Everyone took their seats and for a while there were murmurs and a little chatting until their teacher arrived, drawing the eyes of the students with his toffee brown hair fading into soft red and his loud tweed jacket.

“Good morning everyone!” He said cheerily, strolling down the stairs to his desk and standing behind it, adjusting his bow tie slightly and the light reflecting in his dark brass framed glasses. “My name is Malum Saccharo, and you can all call me Professor Saccharo! I’ll be your history teacher over this term.” He clapped his hands together, his face a picture of pure excitement. “Now, who’s ready to explore the past and relive the tales of old?!” there was a resounding silence from the classroom til Saccharo continued.

“W-well then, why don’t we test your skills on local history first? Can any of you tell me about the area this school is situated in?” Saccharo looked eagerly to the class, all a little too nervous to put their hands up. Then, Martin raised his hand.

“It’s a colony built by the four kingdoms, sir. It’s the youngest large settlement in Remnant..” He said quickly, Cedar could’ve sworn his glasses flashed slightly as he answered.

“Very good, Mr Thistle!” Saccharo nodded, taking a device out of his pocket and pressing a button on it, activating a projector, displaying a map of Remnant on the screen. On the Sanus continent, on the central southern section between Vale and Vacuo, the shield symbol of Vault was present on the map.

“18 years ago, the four kingdoms were facing a crisis of overpopulation, their capital cities were full and there were fewer safe villages with increasing Grimm and bandit attacks.” The image on the board showed a number of human symbols popping up over the four kingdoms. “Even with Menagerie, this problem couldn’t be fixed. So, the councils arranged a meeting to discuss a solution. And they came up with one.” He clicked the device and it returned to an image of Sanus. “At the time, Vacuo had plans to expand a mining operation into this area.” he pointed to the map. “And the dust reserves there had been untapped, a fresh vein of resources. So the four kingdoms proposed something… a grand plan to solve their issues and make use of this deposit of dust! And that project, boys and girls, was the colony of Vault!”

He clicked the projector to show a layout plan for the city, including building placements, wall defences and certain establishments. “The four kingdoms came together and began building on this site, their troops protecting it from Grimm at night and through pooling their resources, they were able to construct a settlement on the volcanic soil of the area, using natural defences and built defences to protect it. Construction took a year of work and a lot of money, but it was completed by that year’s end.” Professor Saccharo continued to lecture, changing the image to a photograph of what looked like a township, small but fresh and new.

“Initially, Vault was populated by the workers and those stationed there to protect it. Anyone in the kingdoms who didn’t have a stable home or those that lived in unprotected settlements were invited to have a fresh start in the newly flourishing colony. It was built with the best of all four kingdoms, the technology of Atlas, the style of Mistral, the culture of Vale and of course, the strong working attitude of Vacuo, who could resist such an offer?” the professor grinned brightly as he changed the image to another photograph, this one a little later than the first.

“Now, who can tell me how they decided Vault would be governed?” Saccharo looked over the class and Cedar kept his hand down, still trying to write down what the professor had just been saying.

“Sir.” Yasmin raised her hand to answer. “It was decided Vault would be governed by four council members from each kingdom so each kingdom may have a voice here and all would be equal.”

“Excellent answer, miss Ginshi!” Professor Saccharo nodded, clicking the device as the board showed four individuals, one from each kingdom, no-one Cedar recognised. “Even now this system of government is in place, however recently a representative chosen by the people of Vault has also been given a seat on the council to assist in its governing.” Saccharo continued. “Thanks to their guidance, Vault has flourished despite being only 17 years old, a success for the other kingdoms’ project. Now, who can tell me when Lustre Academy was built?” There was a greater show of hands this time, more students knew of the academy than the colony itself. “Yes, Mr Sleet?”

“It was established 10 years ago.” Silas replied, smiling thinly.

“Not quite, Mr Sleet..” Saccharo shook his head slightly. “After Vault was constructed and proved it could sustain life and income, the council members drew up a plan to construct an academy and further aid in the training of huntsmen to protect the colony and work outside it. Once again the kingdoms pooled their resources in order to build it, which took 6 months. However, the plans and the building occurred 11 years ago, whilst Lustre Academy opened the next year, aka 10 years ago. So, you were close Mr Sleet.” Saccharo smiled at him reassuringly and the grey haired boy just rolled his eyes. “Make sure all of you write that down!” he said quickly, clicking the device to change the image again, this time it was of Lustre Academy. 10 years had been very kind to it, Cedar thought as he gazed at the photograph on the screen.

“Now then, who can tell me the rules the council set upon Lustre Academy when it was built?” Saccharo looked over the class, this time no-one raised their hands to Saccharo decided to pick someone. “You, Mr Wattle, can you tell me?”

“Erm… urr…” the copper haired boy struggled, having been leaning back in his seat all this time and paying little attention. “Don’t practice Grimm dentistry?” There was a slight snicker from somewhere in the room.

“No.” the professor said flatly. “The rules of the academy are similar to the rules of those that run the colony itself. At least one representative from each kingdom must be present in order to maintain presence and fair order, whilst the headmaster and the school nurse are both neutral representatives.” he proudly put a hand on his chest. “The more astute amongst you may have picked up on the fact I am the representative chosen for Vacuo. I’ll leave you to figure out the rest.” he winked cheekily and clicked the button again, shifting to an image of Lustre’s blueprints. “That’s arguably what makes Lustre Academy the finest huntsman academy. Everything is shared here, the culmination of the four greatest kingdoms to make one final achievement. And with Vault continuing to flourish, it’s going to give us plenty to talk about in future!” Then the projector turned to an image of the more modern Vault township. “Now, to finish up for today, can anyone give me an explanation why Vault is becoming so prosperous?”

“Sir.” Yasmin was the one to speak up once again. “It’s become prosperous due to a thriving tourist trade, low crime rates, the environment and the mix of cultures.”

“Very good indeed, miss Ginshi!” Saccharo nodded, changing the image once again. “Because Vault was built upon volcanic soil, growing crops has become one of its main exports. Plus there’s still the healthy deposit of dust being mined and sold. The mix of cultures also turned Vault into a unique experience even among over kingdoms with attractions like the Atlas designed shopping centre of the more Mistrallian based hot springs, again thanks to the environment.” Saccharo explained, striding up and down behind his desk. “And yes indeed, the low crime rates. With Atlas trained personnel on the watch, few criminals attempt large scale operations and most of the crime consists of petty theft and vandalism.” Saccharo turned back to the group.

“Alright, that’s all for today. For your homework, i’d like you to research something that assisted in creating Vault, be it a group, a resource or a person and present your research in a short essay. That’s all for now, class dismissed!” the bell rang perfectly in line with when he finished his speech. Cedar just about managed to finish writing his notes when the bell went, breathing a sigh of relief. The entire lesson had gone by pretty quickly and he’d struggled to keep up, but it helped knowing some of the others weren’t finding it easy too, like Ozzy.

“Y’comin’ Cedar?” Isaac tapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh uh, yeah, i’m coming.” Cedar got up quickly, following Isaac out.

“You sure know a bit about history, Yasmin!” Lariah mentioned as they were walking.

“Well, my family moved out here to assist in the building of Vault when I was very young. So I had a good home teacher, you could say.” Yasmin explained, a slightly proud smile playing on her lips.

“Ohhh so you’re local! I always kinda guessed you were from Mistral because of your outfit and your weapons.” Lariah looked surprised, scratching her chin. “Here I just moved here from Vale and all…”

“There’s no shame in not being local.” Yasmin assured her. “What about you, Cedar?”

“Hm?” Cedar hadn’t been listening and was more focused on walking. “Oh, yeah, i’m local. I was born in Vault, actually… my family moved out here from Vale due to um… financial troubles.” he explained, though he kept a little bit of the truth to himself for the time being.

“So you’re both local! Neat!” Lariah beamed. “You two better show me around town sooner or later!”

“Maybe at the weekend.” Yasmin flicked her fan over her mouth and looked at Lariah with those suspicious eyes. “Unless you’re suggesting we cut class on the first day.”

“W-what?! No, I wasn’t saying that at all!” Lariah protested, throwing her hands up in surprise.

“It’s alright Lariah, the mind wanders and wants to free itself from this prison of a school.” Yasmin teased her as Lariah became increasingly flustered.

“Stop saying those things! I just wanna see the town sometime, not during school!” She insisted. Isaac chuckled and patted her on the shoulder.

“Now calm yerself. She’s only teasin’.” Isaac assured her and Lariah just pouted indignantly. Yasmin flicked her fan shut and moved on, the strong armed girl lagging behind the group as they returned to the cantina. It was lunchtime after all. As Cedar returned to the hall, he remembered what happened over breakfast and felt a little nervous at it happening again. He’d have to keep an eye out for that blonde boy from before and his grey haired partner. He mustered up his courage, tightened his fists and went to get food.


	5. Hiding In Plain Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day continues after Cedar's encounter with team STAR. Now he must endure a class of survival and a tour around the school. But is all as peaceful as it seems?

Cedar was very thankful lunchtime went by without any complications. There were a few times he could’ve sworn Ozzy was about to fling a chicken leg at a passing Silas, but Martin played idiot’s keeper and kept his hand down. He settled in a little easier, the reassuring presence of his teammates quelling the rush of fear and uncertainty that had been bubbling inside him. Or maybe he’d just been super hungry, he sure felt a lot better with some food inside him.

“Food soothes the heart n’ the soul.” Isaac claimed when Cedar had shared a glance with him.

“I think you mean music, Isaac..” Yasmin quipped with a little smile.

“Now I don’t think music is awfully tasty.” Isaac rebutted jokingly, the two going back and forth for a little bit. It was like watching a double act on television, Cedar thought with a happy smile.

Soon enough, the bell rang once again and the four students made their way to their next class. Which, according to the timetable Cedar had finally downloaded, was Tracking and Hunting… kind of a weird title, Cedar thought. After all, wasn’t killing Grimm considered hunting? Or was this something else entirely? Why have a separate class for it?

Once they arrived at the classroom, it seemed very similar in build to Professor Saccharo’s classroom, same rows of seats, same desks, same stairs, same open front section. The difference here was in decor. This time the desk was a drab grey table with some drawers on its other side, in front of a modern looking swivel chair with wheels on its underside. The walls were fairly bare aside from nasty looking devices hung up, some kind of large sharp toothed mechanical jaws, a rope tied into a noose, a cage with spring locked hinges, opened like a cube and a bolas with a red stain on it. Cedar winced a little at all these vicious looking contraptions as he sat next to Yasmin. There was also a large object covered by a black cloth sitting over in the corner behind the desk.

The students chattered amongst themselves as once again, there was no sign of their teacher. And as time passed, their teacher still didn’t arrive. So the students continued to chatter.

“I bet he’s off drinking behind the school.” Silas snickered, chatting with his team. “I hear he’s from Mistral, he’s probably some criminal.”

“Bloody hell, y’think they’d give us someone like that for a teacher?” Ozzy whispered to Lariah, overhearing him.

“I don’t know! I mean… i’d sure hope not.” the copper haired beefcake also seemed uneasy. .

“Mistrallian sitting right here, you know.” Yasmin glared slightly at the gossipers. “Though this level of tardiness is rather unprofessional.”

“Maybe he just lost track of time?” Cedar suggested. “I mean that’s reasonab-”

“You know it’s rude to talk in class, even if your teacher isn't there yet.” A voice suddenly silenced the students, all of them looking around from where it came from. It sounded like an adult’s voice… but there was no sign of whoever was speaking. “Oh and you all fail my first test, seeing what’s blatantly right in front of you.” the voice added. And on cue, something seemed to happen over by the swivel chair. A figure appeared in the seat as if by magic, dressed in light leather armour with a red ascot around his neck. He got up off the seat and sighed slightly, his expression flat and lifeless.

“See, if I was some assassin, all of you would be dead right now. All because you didn’t see what was right in front of you. If you can’t see that, you’re gonna be a bad huntsman.” he stood in front of his desk and leaned back on it. “Name’s Hearst Redwood. Guess you can call me Professor, but I don’t care, just call me whatever.” he moved back onto his feet. “I’m here to teach you about tracking and survival outside of dealing with Grimm.”

“Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why do you need to learn tracking and survival, huh?” he spoke listlessly with very little enthusiasm in his voice. “Grimm will just come to you and it’s not like you need to seek them out, right? Well if you think that, you’re a fool.”

Cedar heard a whisper and a snigger amongst some nearby students. In the blink of an eye, the Professor pulled a small crossbow from his belt and fired a bolt into their group. They jumped just in time to dodge it. They stared at the professor in shock.

“I’m talking. Save your little jokes for later.” The teacher said flatly, slipping his crossbow away as the students recoiled in fear. “Look, Grimm might come to you, but you can still track them if they’re particularly big and nasty. Any huntsman worth their salt can tell you about a Grimm from a footprint and hide from them for days.” Redwood claimed, idly strolling around his desk. “And then there’s people. I don’t know what you imagine a huntsman job is like, but you’re gonna come across bad people sooner or later. Be it a bandit, some terrorist or a rogue huntsman, it’s gonna happen. And you’ve gotta learn how to hide from them, track them and outmatch them, if you want to survive.”

That was something Cedar admittedly hadn’t thought about. Fighting and killing Grimm wasn’t anything he felt bad about, they were just monsters. But people, with thoughts, feelings and histories? That he felt uneasy about. Sure, they were probably going to be bad guys, but would he be able to fight them? Or even kill them?

“Now, seeing as you all can’t see a man sitting in a chair, why don’t we start simple?” Hearst talked down to them, surveying the room with half lidded eyes. “Who can tell me the most important qualities needed when hunting Grimm?” A number of hands raised.

“Skill in battle.” Yasmin answered when Redwood pointed to her.

“Teamwork!” Candi answered, her eyes shining slightly.

“A plan?” Martin asked, Redwood nodding in return. After that, no-one else seemed to have any answers. The professor sighed.

“Well you’ve got most of it, but you’ve got the most important thing missing.” Cedar honestly couldn’t think of what else there was as Redwood smirked slightly. “Emotional stability.” that caused a stir, the class unsure of what he meant. “Look, you do know how Grimm work, don’t you? They’re attracted to negative emotions, anger, fear, sadness, jealousy. Negative emotions are like ringing a dinner bell for Grimm.” he strolled over to the back of the room, toward the large object covered by the black cloth. “And conversely, Grimm find it harder to track and seek out folks who are feeling good about themselves.” he dragged the huge object to the front of the class and wheeled his chair in front of it.

“So, for today’s lesson, i’m gonna need an assistant. Good thing I got one earlier.” he then whipped off the cloth from the box and the whole class reeled from the shock of what lay beneath it. Under the cloth was a large plastic square container. And inside that container, was a Beowolf. It snarled and scratched at the wall of its container, bumping into it to try and escape. Redwood smirked, tapping the side of the box and the Beowolf smacked it with its paw in response. “Isn’t he adorable? He hates me so much.” he snickered, turning on his heel to face the astonished class.

“Why the bloody hell didja bring a Grimm to class?!” Ozzy snapped.

“If you sit down and wait, i’ll tell you.” Redwood snapped as the class sank back into their seats. “See, Grimm are pretty close to animals. They can hunt you as any other animal can. They see you.” he waved at the Beowolf in the box. “They hear you.” he knocked on the box’s wall. “And they smell you, like any predator. But they’ve got that keen sense for negativity to seek you out too.” he then picked up the cloth and draped it back over the box, hiding the Beowolf. Cedar just blinked, this whole lesson taking him on a rollercoaster ride of doubt and uncertainty.

“If you’re emotionally stable, hidden from sight, being quiet and don’t stink, Grimm can’t track you. And in a situation where you’re outmanned, outgunned or just out of luck, you’re gonna have to hide. And when you hide, you need to be emotionally stable. That’s why it’s so important. You’ve gotta remove that advantage these things have in finding you, to survive.” Redwood leaned against the box. “Now, i’m gonna call you one at a time. I want you to sit in front of the box and be as emotionally stable as you can. If you manage it, my charming assistant won’t make any noise. Otherwise he will, and you fail. Got it? Good? Okay.” he didn’t wait for any questions before he took out his scroll and looked down a list of names, scratching the slight stubble under his chin.

At first Cedar was under the impression professor Redwood would call them in alphabetical order, so naturally the first one picked was Lariah, just to prove him wrong. He whispered a ‘good luck’ to her as she made her way down to sit in front of the box. Her usual smile wasn’t present, instead her face was pure concentration, her hands clenched into fists as she did her best to stay focused. But after a few seconds, the Beowolf began snarling and struck the side of the box, making her recoil in fear.

“You’re dead. Next.” Redwood callously showed her off and she returned to her seat, disappointed. Several more students came and went. Terrance barely even got to sit down before the Beowolf started making noise. Violetta lasted a little while as she fiddled with her violet hair but soon enough, the box started rocking. Isaac lasted the longest so far, sitting arms folded, his usual smile on his face… then one little flinch and the box rattled with noise.

“Stizza Hamelin, you’re up.” The mysterious masked boy approached the box next. Cedar remembered him from the exam, still wearing that eye mask with his curly brown locks cascading around his head. Somehow it just made him all the stranger to look at. He sat calmly in the chair, putting one leg over his lap, fixing the box with an intense stare. Seconds passed, torturously long as the container was silent and the students waited with baited breath. But nothing happened. No noise, no movement, the Beowolf couldn’t sense him.

“...well, i’ll be.” Hearst seemed honestly surprised. “Not bad, Hamelin. Nice to know someone in this class gets it.”

“Thank you, sir.” Stizza replied politely, then stood and returned to his seat. Cedar watched, dumbfounded as the student went to sit with his team, the girls congratulating him and the other boy just staring with his jaw hanging open. How had he managed to maintain that calm when no-one else could?!

“Cedar Glade.” Redwood’s voice brought him back to reality. It was his turn… and with that performance to top, Cedar wasn’t feeling too confident. He got up and headed down, trying to steel himself as much as he could. The moment he took a seat, the Beowolf slammed into the side of the box.

“Very, very dead. Next.” Redwood didn’t even bat an eye and defeated, Cedar returned to his seat. No-one matched Stizza’s level of calm after that, only Yasmin and Martin were able to keep it quiet for nearly as long.

“Great news kids, with this kind of stability, even a blind baby Beowolf could find you in a snowstorm.” Redwood chastised them, idly moving the boxed Grimm to the back of the classroom. “We’re gonna keep doing this at the start of every class, so the lot of you had better figure out how to keep yourselves calm. Think of something happy, meditate, play a song in your head, just find something that keeps you out of the negative. I can’t tell you what you’re gonna need.” Redwood sighed, checking his scroll. “Alright, well now the fun stuff’s out the way, you’d better start taking notes.”

The rest of the class was, as Redwood put it, pretty boring. Cedar made sure to take plenty of notes as Redwood talked about how to track Grimm, noting footprint sizes, forms of destruction left on structures, injuries on other hunters. He had to admit, this did seem a little more useful if they were out in the field… from the classroom it was a little harder to appreciate, not to mention Redwood’s entirely disinterested tone didn’t exactly liven the lesson up at all. Something about his lifeless nature and his cold quips really irritated Cedar. Really, he seemed younger than professor Saccharo too, how was this guy fit to teach them at all?!

“Alright, hope you all took notes because I hate repeating myself. Find your centre and focus for next lesson. Now go away.” The bell rang as he finished his statement and no-one in class seemed particularly interested in sticking around. That was except for Brock. As Cedar was headed out with his team, he noticed the black and white Faunus going to ask the teacher some questions. He didn’t stick around to find out what he was asking, not his place to intrude, despite his curiosity.

“Never thought we’d have a teacher like that…” Isaac pondered aloud as they walked down the hall.

“Quite.” Yasmin seemed particularly irritated. “His attitude is terrible and he shouldn’t be shooting at students. I’ve half a mind to complain to the headmaster.”

“After just one lesson?” Lariah asked, hanging behind them. “Cmon, he was still at least giving us information, right? Why not give him a chance?”

“His chance was today.” Yasmin retorted, rolling her eyes. “First impressions count for everything and his was very poor.” The debate continued as the group returned to their room and decided to change out of their uniforms for the rest of the day. There was still some time until dinner, after all.

“So… what do you guys want to do now?” Cedar asked as he slipped his comfy green jacket back on but left his scarf behind.

“We could go explore the grounds! We still haven’t seen everything in the school yet, right?.” Lariah suggested, slipping on her armless top.

“I think we got quite the tour when you got us lost.” Yasmin joked and Lariah just pouted at that.

“Well, I reckon’ we should take a proper gander round. We are livin’ here a long time after all.” Isaac suggested, wedging his stetson back onto his head.

“I agree with Isaac.” Cedar piped up. The others had no real arguments, so they began their tour of the school.

The first thing they realised when they arrived in the entrance hall was, Lustre was actually fairly easy to navigate. By now they’d figured out the basics, the entrance hall was at the front of the school, off through the left exit was the dining hall but the area to the right was unknown to them. A little foray into that revealed it to be a gym area, various exercise and weightlifting equipment around the room, plus a shower and changing room nearby.

“Nice!” Lariah beamed at the sight of it. “I’m coming here before breakfast from now on!” Cedar had seen a gym back in Vault, but Lustre’s certainly kicked its backside in terms of equipment. There was even a boxing ring nearby for sparring matches.

“So, where to from here?” Yasmin asked. They found another passage from the gym and wound up following the corridor deeper into Lustre Academy’s ground floor. They passed by a couple of classrooms lining the left and right walls before they came upon a set of double doors. Beyond them was a large sports hall, seating on either side, a vast space in the middle for various forms of sport and another changing room off to the side. There also seemed to be a room for equipment, Cedar spying a net and some cones through the slightly ajar door.

“Well, the curriculum did mention sports.” Yasmin stroked her chin slightly as they looked around. Cedar was a little excited seeing this. He wondered if the school had a track team or did hurdles. He was sure he could excel at that.

Leaving the sports hall, they passed by a number of rooms with computers set up in them and even what looked like a technician's lab, full of equipment and machinery. Lariah almost had to be pulled away from the sight as she stared at it.

“Awww I could make soooo much cool stuff in there!” She gawked with Cedar tugging on one of her huge arms just to get her moving again. They continued to wander the halls and came upon what appeared to be an elevator, standing out a little compared to the stairwells they’d been using to access the second floor, where their dorms were. It was akin to a strange mystical gate leading to places unknown. Though when Cedar pushed the button and it slid open, it seemed a little less mystical.

He checked the buttons inside the elevator. Curiously, there were only three available. The one lit up read “Ground floor” which seemed simple enough. The one above it read “Headmaster’s office.” That was kind of cool, having an office in the tallest tower of Lustre… kinda dramatic, really, did he need an elevator just for that? That was answered with a solid ‘no’ when he read the bottom button, which read “Basement.” It seemed innocuous enough, but he couldn’t help but wonder about why they needed an elevator to get down there. The stairwells didn’t go down, as far as he’d seen… so why need an elevator for it? Were there no service entrances?

“Are you quite finished admiring the lift, Cedar?” Yasmin teased as the Faunus realised he’d just been standing in there, staring at the buttons for some time.

“Uhhh yeah, i’m done.” Cedar put the thought behind him and slipped out to rejoin his team, making a mental note of it. As they continued, they passed by the teacher’s lounge and heard what sounded like muffled shouting from within, deciding not to investigate at the risk of it having something to do with Professor Redwood. Then beyond that, another set of double doors presented themselves, leading into a large library. This room definitely bore the style of Vale, with its oaken wooden floor, curled stair banisters and huge bookshelves simply stuffed with brightly coloured tomes, an open skylight shining on the two floor archive. A hushed, calming atmosphere wrapped around them as seats and tables beckoned them to sit and study.

“Now this… is my heaven.” Yasmin was amazed at the sight, awash with a need to read. “Everyone, why don’t we use this chance to study for our history homework?”

“But it’s not due in til-” Lariah tried to say before Yasmin silenced her, pressing a fan over her mouth.

“We can’t waste a chance with a resource like this, Lariah! Come on, let’s just throw ourselves into it!” She was so insistent, poor Lariah was finding it hard to say no. Cedar had to admit, he wanted to stay as well, wondering if he could find a good story book to borrow. Isaac however was distracted when his scroll started to ring.

“Yello?” he answered, holding the device steady.

“Isaac? It’s me, Candi!” the familiar, bubbly voice on the other end replied. “Say, are you busy? I’m kinda in need of a spotter in the gym and my team are busy!”

“Whas’ a spotter?” Isaac blinked, unfamiliar with the term.

“Someone to help me with the weights, silly!” Candi giggled at the other end and Isaac smiled a little.

“Well I s’pose I could. Why me, though? Actually, how’dja get my scroll number?” Isaac questioned.

“I-I just trust you Isaac! You seem like such a nice guy! It’ll be fuuuuuun.” Candi insisted in a sing song voice.

“Well, alright. I’ll be over in just a sec.” He hung up and looked to his team. “Sorry fellers, y’all can get started on the studyin’ without me, I got a pal to help.”

“Sure, Isaac! Just come meet us here later!” Lariah managed to say before Yasmin dragged her into the library to her paper backed doom. Cedar just nodded in Isaac’s direction before going to join the others and lose himself in a good book, just like he used to at combat school.

* * *

Isaac made his way down the hall back toward the gym. He’d more or less gotten the hang of how Lustre was set out now and so, made it there in due time. He was turning over the conversation with Candi in his head. She had seemed very eager to speak with him… maybe she had feelings for him beyond friendship? Or was he being presumptuous? It’d be pretty rude to assume that, especially after just one day together. He continued ruminating on these ideas til he arrived at the door of the gym, the door slightly ajar. With a quick push, he strolled right in.

SPLAT!

Before Isaac could realise something was off, a metal bucket propped on the slightly open door fell down and landed on his head. A rich smokey smell filled his nostrils as the contents of the bucket glooped down around his head, covering him in a brown sticky substance, staining the collar of his shirt and covering his stetson entirely.

Initially the Vacuoan boy was so stunned he couldn’t even react. Then, he grasped the bucket and yanked it off his head, leaving him dripping and annoyed. One sniff had told him all he needed to know about the substance. Barbeque sauce.

“Consarnit, what hornswoggler did that?!” Isaac bellowed, his usual calm wavering when he heard voices around him. He flecked sauce out of his eyes so he could open them and check for the culprit, hearing a snickering and the click of something mechanical. By the time he could see, he spotted someone dashing out of the room via the door to the gym corridor. Isaac gave chase, barrelling down the corridor after the footsteps. Rounding the corner, he spied Candi walking and talking with Martin. He approached them with long strides, hands clenched into fists from irritation. “Hey!” he called out to them. Both turned in surprise.

“Isaac? What happened to you?” Martin’s eyebrows raised behind his glasses, the cowboy focusing on the pink haired girl beside him.

“Thas a low down trick you dun pulled, Candi. Mighty terrible.” Isaac frowned, arms folded in disgust.

“Huh? Trick?” Candi blinked in surprise.

“Callin’ me into the gym and dumpin’ a bucket o’ sauce on me? I ain’t laughin’.” Isaac looked sternly at her but the pastel haired girl just looked confused.

“Call you? What do you mean?” She asked, half curious and half concerned.

“Y’all called me out to spotcha in the gym, n’ya set that bucket up to fall on m’noggin.” Isaac frowned, flecking a glob of sauce out of his eyes.

“What? But I didn’t…” Candi suddenly looked a little upset at Isaac’s accusations.

“I hate to intrude, Isaac,” Martin spoke up. “But Candi’s been with me, she hasn’t made any phone calls.”

“Well she called me, it was her voice. I’m telling ya, it-” Before Isaac could finish, his scroll buzzed, as did Martin’s and Candi’s. He wiped his hand on his vest and took it out, looking at it. It was an update from the school’s message board… a picture of Isaac with the bucket on his head and the sauce splattering his body, a caption reading ‘Classic Vacuo Barbeque’. And below, the uploader’s name. Candi Cotton.

“Wait… that’s not…?” Candi gasped at the sight.

“Hmm…?” Martin’s glasses flashed slightly.

“What in tarnation?” Isaac uttered in disbelief. Just what was going on around this school?


End file.
